Tuesday, October 30, 2012

Before & after - my studio

Hello everyone! Today I thought I'd share with you some before and after shots of my studio. Honestly I have no idea how I could get work done with the former set up.

I'm lucky to have my own dedicated space for rose & lula fun. The kids wanted to share a bedroom (this room used to be Livia's) so we wholeheartedly encouraged them as it meant recuperating a sewing room for me!

It's a small and awkwardly shaped space with a long corridor, but a great view onto Mont Blanc.

Here's the long corridor (taken with my back to the window):

I am really really happy with how this turned out. Thanks to Ikea I was able to hang up all my fabric on hangers without eating too much into the corridor. So if you come over for some custom orders we can easily mix and match fabrics without upsetting a pile of fabric. Plus I love how it feels a bit like a shop!

Here's the view into the studio, standing in the corridor:

Again, lots of Ikea here. I love the Expedit for display, letting the colours of products speak for themselves. I've sorted the fabric scraps by colour and put them in white pots on top of the unit. I've also hung shelving on the wall, for displaying buttons and baskets.

Bleurgh, now brace yourselves, here's how not to have things on display with Expedit shelves :) Yuk, I'm amazed I managed to create anything in here!

I'm really happy with my improvised cutting table - it's two small Expedit shelves together. I put feet on the bottom to make it a comfortable level for cutting fabric, and I have a big cutting mat. I'm thinking in the future, if I have rolls of fabric, they'll fit well in the cubbies below. This will also be the packing station, so I've added lots of drawers for all the packaging bits I'll need. Next to the drawers I've added a small wardrobe for unpretty clutter I can close the doors on.

Lastly, here's my sewing table. I actually loved this table as it was our old dining table, but the new handy drawers didn't fit underneath, gah. Please excuse the mess. I'm being honest with you here folks and showing you a messy studio!

I already had the metal board on the right for holding scissors etc and it's really practical. I especially like to keep the scissors up high in case the kids come in and start playing - my fabric scissors are very sharp! I'm going to cover the new desk top with oil cloth to add a bit of colour, and I'll put up a moodboard or inspiration board in front of the sewing machine. I love having so many drawers to keep everything in order.

I must say I feel 100 times more creative since sorting out my studio. Everything has its place and I like how the furniture is neutral and the pop comes from the fabrics.

If you have a creative space, feel free to link to it below so we can all go get inspired.

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About Me

Hello! My name is Micala. My big dream is to have a successful handmade sewing business. In this blog I write about my journey setting up and running Rose and Lula, all the while trying to balance two young children, a hard-working husband and a rather hairy dog with my thoroughly enticing sewing machine.